FT. MYERS BEACH TO KEY WEST

Wednesday October 28, 2015

We left out of Ft. Myers Beach mooring field as early as we could.  We went straight to the fueling dock to fuel up and fill the water tanks.  They opened at 8:00 am, but we were greeted by Josh, an employee earlier, at 7:30.  We took care of Manatee and left the fuel dock by 8:20 am. We motored into a rain storm.  The winds weren't too bad though and we really really wanted to continue on down.  The winds were 12-15 kts out of the south with just a little bit of west to them so we were able to raise the main and staysail and motor sail. We planned to stop in Marco Island, but after an 8 hour day of choppy seas and in and out of storms, we approached Naples and decided to duck in there for the night.  We found a sweet little spot just off the channel between Marker 4 and 5 and anchored in about 7 feet of water, not far from the mangroves.  We had just enough time to cook up some dinner and rest before going to sleep.

Choppy Seas, stormy skies

As we were cleaning up the cockpit and securing things for the night, we looked up to see another boat come in from the gulf too. They also anchored right off the channel, but in a different spot.  It was our neighbor from the mooring field, a 46 foot sailboat named "Good Morning Vietnam". They were heading south to Marathon as well.  

We awoke the following morning to clear skies and quiet wind.  We had a quick bowl of cereal and got under way.  We were out the channel and in the gulf by daylight.  The channel was very narrow, with a rock jetty to the south and a shoal to the north so shallow that waves were breaking on it!  But we navigated between the navigational beacons without problem, unlike our friends in "Good Morning Vietnam".  We later talked to them at the next anchorage and found out they ran aground on that shoal. The gulf was like a lake now, smooth and calm.  But NO wind.  We had to just motor on down.  The next stop was Little Shark River on Cape Sable.  We really don't like that spot, it should be renamed "bug and no-see-um harbor."  The bugs come out in full force at dusk and dawn.   However there is no other place to comfortably anchor between Marco Island and Marathon.  You really can't or shouldn't do an overnight even if you wanted to (and I didn't want to) because you have to navigate around the crazy amount of crab traps the whole way down.

Sunset in Little Shark River

"Good Morning Vietnam" heading out of Little Shark River

We anchored and immediately got in the dinghy to run over and visit with our neighbors for a beer and snacks.  During the day they had hailed us on the radio asking specifics about the anchorage and its water depths and invited us once we got situated.  We had a very nice visit but got rudely interrupted by swarms of bugs at dusk.  So we hurried back to Manatee and got down below and sprayed the screens to keep those tiny no-see-ums out!  With literally no breeze, it was a hot muggy and buggy night.

We again got up early and headed out by sunrise.  It was another quiet and calm day on the gulf.  We motor sailed the first half on a 5-6 kt wind out of the East but ended up dropping the sails.  A couple of dolphins played in the bow wave for what seemed like a long time.  I have become a "Dolphin Whisperer", as the dolphins roll and look at me and jump for me as I talk to them.  They definitely seem to respond to me, if I stop and look elsewhere, they swim away.  When they come back they stay and play for lengthy periods of time.

Dolphins playing in the bow wave, what fun!

We passed under the 7 mile bridge at Marathon and after looking at the charts, decided to find an anchorage rather than going to the mooring field.  We found a sweet spot, between the bridge and Molasses Key.  We had to carefully navigate through a skinny channel between very shallow water, but did so successfully.  The water was so clear and inviting, we took a refreshing dip as soon as we anchored, in 8 feet of water.

Sunset over the keys

Tomorrow its on to Key West! 

Saturday, October 31, 2015

We motor sailed and dodged crab pots all day. We took the Hawk Channel and tried to head out into deeper water to avoid the crab pots, but quickly found a strong head current slowing us down.  So we returned back in shore and continued to Key West.  It was a beautiful day on the Atlantic.  We tried to fish, but there was so much weed and crab pots, it was too much to keep checking the lines.  We finally got down to the end of Florida and rounded the point around 3:00 pm.  We slowly made our way around the tip to the gulf side, passing Mallory Square and the huge cruise ships.  There were tons of sailboats anchored out off Mallory Square.  We opted to continue past all that and headed around Fleming Key to the Key West mooring field and picked up a ball.  It was too late to get in the dinghy and buzz over to the Marina office to check in, so we just secured ourselves and enjoyed cocktails in the cockpit!  Ahhh, Key West, crazy Key West.  Glad we are out on a boat on this Halloween night with Fantasy Fest going on in town!

Coast Guard Station, Key West

Big Ship!!

Mallory Square

Mallory Square

Mallory Square

Schooners Wharf is in there somewhere

The marina at Schooners Wharf

The mooring field, our home for the next week

FT. MYERS MOORING FIELD DELAY

We enjoyed the sail down the ICW from Pelican Bay, going past the beautiful islands of Usseppa, Cabbage Key and even think we spotted Jo's dad's place at the southern tip of Cayo Costa.  The winds were favorable for a nice sail, 10-12 kts out of the NE.  Then came the crazy area around Captiva and Sanibel.  The eager fishing boat captains here are ruthless and most don't care how close to you and how big of a wake they leave as they are wizzing by to get out the passage.  However, we joined in on the fun.  We had been listening to a Channel 16 conversation going back and forth between a commercial shrimp boat, the coast guard and the Sheriff Dept. concerning a crew member on the shrimp boat.  Seems that a crew member became unresponsive while sleeping in his bunk and when another crew member went to wake him, he was making gurgling noises, his eyes were rolling back in his head and he had blood coming out of the corner of his mouth.  The boat was about 10 miles outside the Matanzas Pass, trying to get in as fast as his boat would allow.  Had we taken the outside route, we probably would have been close enough to him for me to feel that I should go assist if I could.  However we were inside and all we could do was listen to the broadcast.  The crew member continued to be unresponsive and was having seizures.  Scary.  We listened as the Sheriff Dept. boat reached the shrimp boat and boarded with a paramedic on board. As we approached the mooring field, going past the Matanzas Pass we saw the shrimp boat being escorted in by the coast guard cutter. Later we watched as he docked just across the bay from where we moored.  Since it was early in the day we were able to secure a mooring ball within close proximity to the Inn, so we only had short dinghy rides in to shore.  We figured we would be here for a day or two to ride out the high winds coming.  There is comfort in being attached to a mooring ball in high winds versus anchoring in a not so protected anchorage and hoping the anchor holds. 

Rounding Ft. Myers Beach

Our view from the mooring ball

Ed did his routine check of the engine and noticed a dripping.  I hear him exclaim “drip, drip…? what is dripping?” and he discovered it was a leaky water pump.  Well, that changed our plans pretty quickly.  Of course its Saturday,  so we relaxed and set up the TV and antenna to watch football in the cockpit.  On Monday morning we made phone calls and located the Yanmar dealer.  They happened to be right here in the harbor, a short dinghy ride away.  We ordered the part. Luckily, the Georgia distributor had ONE on hand and it would be shipped for delivery in 3-4 days.  Guess we’ll enjoy the mooring field for a little while.  Since we were delayed here, Ed decided to do some other maintenance stuff on the engine which included replacing a low pressure fuel line. We researched the area and found an auto parts store, the Home Depot, Walmart and Best Buy.  (I was having an issue with my Mac and wanted to get it checked out).  We decided Tuesday would be a good day to go into town using the transit system.  We caught the trolley at 10:00 am, and was brought over the bridge to a transfer station where we picked up the bus system.  OMG!  We only needed to go a 10 mile radius but it took several different bus routes and transfers.  We got back to the Inn at 6:30 pm!  But I gotta say, it was a fun and different day.  We got back in time to catch John Friday at the Upper Deck Restaurant and Bar, had a couple of appetizers and shared a bucket of Land Sharks.  Then back to Manatee for a nightcap and hit the sack.

Land Sharks, Conch Fritter and Coconut Shrimp after a long day!

John Friday, great Trop Rock Music!

The rest of the week was filled with catch up chores; grocery shopping, laundry and sanding and varnishing. The weather was beautiful, warm and sunny and winds out of the NE.  Beautiful sunrises and sunsets. Hope the winds keep up until we are ready to go!

Sunrise

We watched the traffic on the bridge heading west over to the beach. Due to construction on the beach road, the traffic was backed up like this every day! Yuk!

San Carlos Bridge

Friday the water pump came in, but there was a big difference in the 1980 pump (which is a discontinued model) and the new pump.  The hoses had to be reduced from 1” to 3/4” and OF COURSE the dealer didn’t have what was needed.  Had to order.  Now its Friday, won’t be in until Monday.  More football in the cockpit over the weekend.

The order didn’t come in early on Monday and Ed got impatient.  He started calling hardware stores nearby to find the fitting needed to reduce the hose.  We had no luck with the hardware stores, but the guy at the last store we called suggested we call Erickson and Jensen across the bridge.  They service the shrimp boats.  We called and they thought they could help us. Google maps shows their shop is right on the harbor where we are.  Ha, turns out they are just across from our mooring ball, their shop has been part of our view everyday.  We dinghied over there and got fixed up.  The pump was installed in literally 20 minutes time.  Yay!  We are good to go.

The view from Manatee, to the left is Erickson and Jensen Marine Supplies

Uh, no….we had been watching the weather and the nice NE winds providing a great sail south were switching overnight to South and East.  Gee, thats the direction we were going! We decided to go anyway and just motor into the wind.  It would be choppy and a bit uncomfortable, but we want to go!

A flock of Frigate birds flew overhead, Ed was told as a child that it was good luck to have Frigate birds fly over you!

Tuesday morning looked different.  NOAA predicting winds not only out of the S and SE, but at 20-30 kts. and the seas 5-7 feet.  Ed thought better than to put me through the discomfort of going outside and heading south. The only way to go south from here is outside in the gulf.  

So here we sit, for another day.  The winds should calm down somewhat tonight and tomorrow, and those bands from Patricia are making landfall north of us.  We will see what tomorrow brings and hopefully head out tomorrow!  

And this is a screen shot of the NOAA radar for today: we made a good decision.

You just can’t change the weather...

PELICAN BAY

We weighed anchor at 0750 and proceeded down the ICW.  The winds were out of the NE and very light, 5-8 kts.  Not even worth raising the sails.  We still enjoyed the cruise though.  There are lots of beautiful homes along the shore and lots of wildlife to sneak up on.  

Shortly after we left, I spotted movement on a sand bar.  Upon further investigation, we realized what we were seeing was a large group of Manatees, beached.  We couldn’t get real close, as it was out of the channel, but we could see through the binoculars Manatees flipping their tails and moving about, but not very much.  Ed thought it should be reported, we weren’t sure if this group was in distress or not.  We first contacted the Coast Guard, who advised us to call the Federal Wildlife Commission and gave us the phone number.  Shortly after talking to the phone dispatcher we received a phone call from a Manatee Marine Biologist.  She thought this was a mating issue. When a female goes “into heat”, many males gather around her and try to inseminate her.  When she gets tired, she beaches herself and the males get as close to her as possible, waiting for the fun to begin once more!  The things you see when in the wild….

MANATEE SEX!!

The rest of the cruise down the waterway was uneventful and rather restful.

Under the Ringling Bridge, Sarasota, pretty!

Swing bridge, Sarasota

Beautiful homes

Marina Jacks, Sarasota

Neat architecture!

Osprey

We tiptoed into the Pelican Bay passage and found our anchorage.  We were lucky enough to have a spot available almost exactly where we anchored earlier this year on our way North!  To our amazement, as we were inching our way around the previously anchored boats, there in the exact same spot as last spring was a catamaran we had anchored  next to last time!  S/V Our Destiny recognized us as well!  Funny how it can be a small ocean sometimes.

They live in Port Charlotte and left the following morning, so we didn’t have an opportunity to visit with them again.  Chances are we will meet up again someday.

S/V Our Destiny

We anchored and relaxed in the cockpit with cocktails, as a small group of Manatees swam by.  We love this anchorage!

Sunset over Pelican Bay

We took Li’l Bit out the next morning, instead of the kayaks since the wind was howling and the water was choppy. We went into the little creek where we saw lots of Manatees last  Spring. However none to be found that morning.  We went through Cayo Costa State Park and took a long walk on the gulf side and shelled.

Kingfisher

A green can, misplaced.  DO NOT keep it between these navigational beacons! 

The next day was busy with brightwork.  We sanded and put a coat of fresh varnish on the cabin top rail.  As we worked, we observed several small (less than 16 ft) sailboats coming in the pass.  It was pretty windy out there, bet they had a great sail! We watched each one of them round the sandbar and beach up for the night.  We guessed it was a sailing club.

Small sailboat regatta

Saturday morning came and it was time to move on south, heading for Fort Myers Beach Mooring field.  We have been here several times in our travels and its a good place to stop for laundry, shopping and the security of being on a mooring ball.  Winds are predicted to be blowing 30-35 kts through Tuesday.  

On our way out, we passed Punta Blanca Island (aka "Ghost Island")

Sanibel Island Lighthouse

ANCLOTE TO ST. PETE

We had a restful evening and night.  The anchorage we chose off Dutchman Key was way more peaceful than the anchorage we saw further down by the dock off Anclote Key State Park.

Sunrise over Dutchman Key

We took advantage of this nice anchorage and beautiful weather the following day.  I washed down the teak on deck with fresh water, while Ed went down under and scraped the bottom.  We went swimming and just relaxed the rest of the day.

Anclote Key Lighthouse

Friday morning we communicated with our friends Marc and Robin (whom we haven't seen in over 10 years!) and made plans to be picked up by Marc in his boat. We moved over to the other anchorage which was situated just outside the channel Marc would be taking to find us.  We had a few hours to go explore, so we hopped in Li'l Bit and dinghied over towards Anclote Key State Park. The access for boats must be on the beach side, but we pulled the dinghy up on shore and tromped through grass, weeds and knee high sand spurs, but its an adventure, right? We jumped over the railing and walked into the state park via the "back door".
We decided not to splash through the flooded out path that leads to the beach side of the park, lots of mosquitoes and who knows what other kind of reptiles would be awaiting us!

Looks like Alligator land to me!

After a short swim in the beautiful clear water off the island, we dinghied back slowly to our boat. We explored an overturned (many years ago) sailboat, so sad.

Marc showed up in his beautiful 46 foot Ocean Cruiser to pick us up and bring us to their home in Tarpon Springs, on Tarpon Lake.  It was so good to see him.  Marc and Ed worked together for several years back in 2000-2005.  

Captain Marc!

We spent the rest of the weekend with the Brown's.  We enjoyed meeting a lot of their friends, getting to know their children Caleb and Shelby and just catching up on life.

The Brown's boat at their marina

Since we were going to spend the night Saturday at their place, we grabbed a slip at the Tarpon Springs City Marina at the beginning of the Sponge Docks.  The guys there, Mick and Mike were were nice, very accomadating.  The Browns didn't live too far from there so it was easy enough for them to come pick us up and drop us off.

Slip # 1 at the Tarpon Springs City Marina

We recognized the boat in the above picture...S/V  Devine Miss Em left St. Andrews Marina last April, they are awaiting repairs here.

Caleb and Georgia, fishing off the dock in Lake Tarpon

A wonderful, fun filled weekend ended Sunday evening.  We are so fortunate to be living this life, travelling about and catching up with dear friends.  Thanks for everything, Marc and Robin!  We will be back next spring.

CHEERS!

We weighed anchor around 10:00 am and went out the pass between Anclote Key and Three Rooker Bar.  We raised the sails but as we did, the breeze died and just never came back!  Was forecast out of the West at 10 kts.  We saw flukey winds, mostly out of the North with a little East to it, and maybe gusts to 6 kts.  So we motor sailed on the main down the coast, past Clearwater and down to Johns Pass Marina on Treasure Island to visit our friend Cathy.  We had a nice visit, had dinner at Gator's by the bridge, and experienced probably one of the worse service for a meal we have ever had.  Its too bad, the restaurant is right across the parking lot from the marina and would be so convenient.  But we won't be back after that experience.  But the company was perfect.  We got a good night's sleep at the marina and took off for points South.

We decided to go down the ICW and enjoy the sights. The homes along the waterway are so enormous and beautiful.  And there was no wind to speak of.  We did go through a little squall on Tampa Bay, but Manatee and Capt Ed did great.  We arrived at our chosen anchorage, just a few hundred feet off the ICW just south of Sarasota.  A really nice spot with lots of birds fishing around us. Drinks, dinner and good night to all!